Into the Woods

As a conflation and extension of several classic fairy tales, Into the Woods includes two depictions of blindness usually glossed over in the Disney versions. In the first, Rapunzel’s nameless prince is blinded by nettles the witch blocked his path with as punishment for visiting Rapunzel. Her tears cure him (a trope later seen in Victorian literature such as Jane Eyre), and the two aren’t seen again.

Cinderella’s evil stepsisters are similarly blinded as punishment, this time by the birds of Cinderella’s acquaintance acting on their own recognizance. (True to the older versions of the story, they also have bits of their feet cut off in an effort to fit into the golden slipper.) The two thereafter sport anachronistic designer sunglasses and white canes with their brocade dresses, using modern symbols to convey blindness instead of classical ones, like a blindfold.

Runaway Jury

Runaway Jury has a lot of scenes in the beginning which seem to establish that one Nicholas Easter is trying to get out of jury duty. (It is later revealed that Easter was using reverse psychology to ensure himself a place on this particular jury: when he tells the judge that he wants out because he has been chosen to participate in The Madden Challenge, which he describes as a “video game tournament” in which he stands to “win a lot of money” the judge decides to make an example of him to “teach him a lesson in civic responsibility” by putting him on the jury though he seems conspicuously to want off.)

During the voire dire, a blind man named Grimes enters the courtroom with the aid of a red-and-white cane and a female guide who described the obstacles in front of him, and gave him specific instructions on how far to make a turn, etc.) She is not seen again in this picture, but then, except for an impromptu lunch outing with the judge arranged by Easter, Grimes is for the most part seen in the jury room.

When Herman Grimes first presents himself before the bench, the judge initially tells him that he needn’t have even come, because he was (automatically) excused from jury service on account of disability. Grimes then cited a statute that said that to automatically exclude him from jury service constituted discrimination on the basis of disability.

The judge asked if the other jury selectees would accept a blind man serving with them, and only gave the ok after they gave an affirmative answer.
Grimes was able to tell that the judge was smiling from the tone of his voice.

Herman Grimes is chosen jury foreman after Nicholas Easter addresses the group and says:
“Only Herman had the guts to stand up to the judge and only Herman seems to know something about the law.”
“But he’s blind, man”, was the initial objection from one of the other jurors.
“So’s justice”, was the counter-argument from another.
Herman Grimes was unanimously elected Jury Foreman.

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